It's Not Too Late to Make a Difference

I couldn’t be more proud of the work we are doing on behalf of Oregon students and public education right now.

We are close to turning back the tide on decades of under
funding our schools, over-testing our students and over-mandating our educators. We are standing up and we are speaking
out – for our students, for public education, and for our colleagues.

As large corporations have poured millions of dollars into mis-
leading ads to defeat Measure 97, your grassroots effort will make
the difference in winning this for our students. Over the past year,
thousands of us have made phone calls, knocked on doors, talked to
friends and neighbors, carried petitions and done the heavy lifting.
Thank you!

Because of you, I believe that a week from now we will be celebrating the passage of Measure 97 and looking forward to implementing
meaningful improvements in our schools, rather than bracing our-
selves for yet another year of budget cuts.

We are also doing vital work to transform education through the
implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. We have the
opportunity to shape education policy and make lasting changes –
including ensuring meaningful assessments of our students.

As I've traveled the state this fall, participating in canvasses and phone banks, I've seen on your faces yow vital this measure is. It's not to late to make a difference.

Our students are at the center of all we do. As I’ve traveled the state this fall, participating in canvasses and phone banks, I’ve seen on your faces how vital this measure is. I’ve seen pain in the eyes of educators who are spread so thin they worry about the students they can’t get to each day in their overcrowded classrooms.

It’s not too late to make a difference. We cannot make transformative changes in education without adequate funding. We must pass Measure 97. It is going to be a close race, but we need to get our friends, neighbors and colleagues out to vote.

I ask you to double down and give it your all for one more week. An investment of two hours right now to make those phone calls and knock those doors will make the difference between another round of budget cuts or implementing a plan that reduces class size, expands educational opportunities and provides our students the robust curriculum that inspires our students’ learning.